MoU signing between the Skills Development Program, the skills Development Fund, and Decent Employment for Youth in Cambodia  

Initial vocational education and training
16.12.2022
The Skills Development Program (SDP) of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), implemented by Swisscontact, entered an official tripartite cooperation with the Skills Development Fund (SDF), and Decent Employment for Youth in Cambodia (DEY) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) singed on 15th December 2022 which was presided over by H.E. VONGSEY VISSOTH, Minister attached to the Prime Minister and Permanent Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).

The overall goal of the MoU is to contribute to the institutional development of the Skills Development Fund (SDF) to be a more inclusive, accessible, and flexible funding source for proficient and sustainable skills development and employment for youth.

The MoU is specifically developed for the following objectives:

  • To contribute to the development of technical expertise and skills of the SDF team through exchanging and building technical knowledge, expertise and skills, related to private sector engagement, finance and grant management, development of innovative funding modalities and management tools for the sustainability of SDF.
  • To increase access to the SDF fund for companies (including large firms, SMSs, tourism and hospitality businesses) and TVET providers, through PPP by building their capacities. Furthermore, employer associations² are strengthened to fulfil their role in coordinating and mobilising their members, to develop and pilot demand-based skills training programmes through WBL models, e.g., Quality Apprenticeship, In-Company Training, professional internships, and other practical solutions to train youth for decent employment and to generate innovative models to be replicated under the SDF.
"The Skills Development Fund (SDF) project will be a national financing platform for the development of skills that meet the needs and link industry with quality training institutions where all stakeholders are required to continue to work together to achieve the Royal Government's strategy to build knowledgeable, skillful and qualified human resources."
H.E. Vongsey Vissoth, Minister attached to the Prime Minister and Permanent Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).

Mr. Rajiv Pradhan expressed gratefully thankful to the Swiss Government that agreed to continue to support the development of the Cambodian Technical Education and Vocational Training, as well as Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT), Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Skills Development Fund (SDF), and Decent Employment for Youth (DEY), employer associations, private sector and TVET training providers for the effective cooperation.

"Through the implementation of the MoU, it enables us to effectively work together to develop demand driven skilled workforce to maintain sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Cambodia. And congratulation, on behalf of Swisscontact, to H.E. Chheang Vanarith, SDF Project Director, H.E. Chea Kok Hong, SDF Project Manager and the whole SDF team for the remarkable achievements of the Skills Development Fund (SDF) made over the year."
Mr. Rajiv Pradhan, Country Director of Swisscontact

The Parties will endeavour to achieve the following outcomes:

  • A package of guiding resources, namely a practical handbook on Private Sector Engagement (PSE) and a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) guideline (incl. governance/management, financing mechanism, resource mobilization, etc.) are in place and support the SDF to effectively develop and implement PPPs and built capacities that contribute to the sustainability of the SDF.
  • A total of 10 joint training proposals as PPP are developed and submitted to SDF, for the training of at least 60 (in-company) instructors/trainers and a total of 300 trainees for pre-employment, upskilling and reskilling through Work-Based Learning (WBL) models, e.g. In-Company Training, Quality Apprenticeship, professional internships, including through blended training methodology with the integration of green transformation etc.
  • A total of 10 private companies (incl. large firms, SMEs, tourism and hospitality businesses) in partnership with Technical Training Institutes (TTIs), are enabled to meet the requirements and access the SDF, to pilot WBL, In-CT, Quality Apprenticeship programmes, etc.
  • Participating employer associations will be enabled to perform their coordinating role and mobilize companies as members of the employer associations to jointly develop and prepare the necessary training programs and proposals for access to the SDF.
2024 - 2028
Cambodia
Initial vocational education and training, Labour market insertion, Sustainable tourism
Skills Development Programme (SDP)
The overall goal of the Skills Development Programme (SDP) is for disadvantaged young women and men and low-skilled workers in five rural provinces of Cambodia (Preah Vihear, Stung Treng, Kratie, Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri) to gain access to decent employment and increased income.